


Drowsy Means You Sleep When You Want

by razorbladetheunicron



Series: Epithet Emptied [1]
Category: Epithet Erased (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Like, also some headcanons about the amulet and epithets, but is sylvie okay?, but really a part of who you are just being casually yanked, i mean of course you did she used it, obviously, remember how mera stole sylvie's epithet, sorry i'm not good at titles, that's gonna mess you up some, this is post episode four, written before the western arc, your epithet being stolen must really suck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21796810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/razorbladetheunicron/pseuds/razorbladetheunicron
Summary: Sylvie (Dr. Ashling, thank you very much) was just let out of the hospital and got to finally go back to his apartment. And there's absolutely nothing wrong. Nope, not a single thing (he's a psychologist after all, he'd know if there was something wrong).So maybe he won't go to sleep unless he's surrounded by Counting Sheep or protected by Dream Big (which definitely do not use up most of the energy he's supposed to regain by sleeping). After all, that psycho lady didn't have the amulet anymore, and she was all nicely locked up in prison.He's perfectly safe with his epithet completely safe from being taken away again. There's nothing wrong. (And nobody needs to know.)
Relationships: Molly Blyndeff & Giovanni Potage, Sylvester "Sylvie" Ashling & Giovanni Potage, Sylvester "Sylvie" Ashling & Molly Blyndeff, Sylvester "Sylvie" Ashling & Molly Blyndeff & Giovanni Potage
Series: Epithet Emptied [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574212
Comments: 66
Kudos: 396





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Molly wants to visit Sylvie, since she did promise to be his friend, after all. Strangely enough, he actually looks worse after getting out of the hospital. Something us clearly wrong.
> 
> (OR: Molly isn't stupid, Sylvie is stubborn, and Giovanni kinda maybe is a big brother to two kids instead of just one.)

Molly visits on the second day Sylvie is in the hospital, when he's still at the point that some of the pain is still there, but the medications haven't turned his brain into goop quite yet. The first day he was there mostly consisted of doctors checking to make sure they had chosen the right dosages for the right problems, and the police woman who had the real ass goddamned sword (Percy, apparently) very politely asking him about what happened.

The first questions are the easiest, since those are mainly asking about why he was there. Those he can answer honestly (and rather sheepishly, since in all honestly it was never a good idea to try and get an academic preview of the amulet) and quickly. He knows that the Banzai Blasters hadn't actually been there to steal the amulet in the first place, and he doesn't feel bad in giving out Giovanni's name since he already knows Indus wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut for two seconds in an interrogation. Molly is where it starts to get a bit iffy, since it actually his fault that she had been there ("Yeah, uh, I bumped into you earlier today and some of your sleep dust had got on me..."), and he had been in a fight against her and Giovanni that caused a bunch of stuff to get wrecked.

So he tells most of the truth, and leaves out some other bits to make the story a bit "better". None of the cameras had been been on in the first place, since Mera and Indus had apparently turned them off before the museum had even been opened on that day, so the only other source who could say that he was lying was Molly. Percy had said that nobody was going to talk to her yet ("The poor girl needs some time to recover from what happened. Being held captive by two different people all in one night..."), so he was in the clear.

On the night of the first day, when everyone had finally left him alone and he could finally breathe again, Sylvie pulls out the card that Molly had gave to him and dials the number. It's a bit late, but he's hoping that she will be there to answer. Though, as it turns out, Molly was working a shift (until one in the morning! No wonder even just a little bit of his dust was enough to knock her out) and picks up on the second ring with an exhausted "Hello?"

When he greets her back, he can hear her instantly perk up and the swirling doubts he had about her promise to be friends die away in an instant. The conversation results in a promise from her to visit the very next day (with some toys, too) and Sylvie goes to sleep feeling relieved.

So Molly visits him with an entire bag of toys ("No, no, you don't have to pay for any them. They're presents, Sylvie!") and a bright smile that he never got to see when they were in the museum. He winces once during the visit when he tries to move, but instead is hit by a sharp burst of pain, when Molly suddenly grabs his hands and closes her eyes. The pain quickly recedes (his head feels slightly fuzzy afterwards, but it's entirely worth it), and she gives him an even brighter smile that he can't help but smile back to.

After those days, everything starts to blur together a bit more. Molly visits at least twice a week with that same smile, and is always ready to help out if he's in any pain. One time, about two weeks into his stay, she shows up with Giovanni trailing awkwardly behind her, dressed in normal clothes instead of that (honestly terrible-looking) uniform he had been wearing, and it's really jarring. But Molly acts as a mediator between them, and somehow gets them both to apologize for the fight in the museum.

Giovanni is calmer than he was in the museum, and seems a lot more clever than Sylvie had initially gave him credit for ("Wait, wait, your epithet is _Soup?_ I thought it was something like Steam or Vapor, considering what you were doing!") When him and Molly leave, Sylvie even hears him (rather begrudgingly) admit to her that maybe "that little brat" was a _little_ less annoying than he had been before ("It doesn't mean I like him, Bear Trap! Get that smile off of your face!").

Then, all so suddenly, Sylvie is back at his apartment (he's not a kid, after all!) and has to go back to work as if nothing unusual had ever happened. His apartment seems open and unprotected, unlike back at the hospital (have his windows always been that big and easy-looking to break?). It's also so much quieter, in stark opposition to the continuous noises at the hospital and the utter chaos that the museum had been.

He stands at the entrance (with the door closed, of course) for a few minutes, also unsure of what exactly to do, before simply throwing his bag onto the couch and walking over to his computer to check his email and schedules. None of the words really seem to process, and he just works on autopilot for a few hours until his phone beeps out an alarm to say that it's time for dinner. Sylvie finds a package of Ramen noodles in the back of his cupboard and throws them together without much thought, then takes the bowl and sits down silently at the table to poke at them for nearly an hour before giving up and going to his bedroom.

He sits on his bed with the lights on, and aimlessly kicks his legs. He could easily go to sleep if he wanted, using just the right amount of his dust to make sure he woke up at the exact right time, but doesn't want to. Sylvie thinks about the museum, and Mera holding him up like a toy before ripping his epithet away and tossing him aside. The feeling of all of his energy, his power, his very being being torn away and leaving him feeling empty and hallow and...

Sylvie runs his hand across a Counting Sheep in his lap, vaguely realizing that he didn't remember actually summoning one, but not exactly caring at the moment. The amulet, he thinks to himself, doesn't take from someone Inscribed and make them into a Mundie. After all, an Inscribed doesn't just have a word that gives them an ability. The word is a part of their soul, as are the abilities it provides. What the amulet does is take away the part of the soul that is Inscribed, leaving something vital missing, a massive gaping hole in someone's soul.

He doesn't want to think how if Giovanni hadn't been there, Molly would of had to feel the same emptiness. The same pain that was even greater than anything Mera had done during the fight. He vaguely remembers Molly suggesting that Mera have someone else take her epithet away, but he knows firsthand that would have just been worse.

His phone suddenly rings, and Sylvie almost jumps half a mile in shock. His sudden movement causes the Counting Sheep to disappear, but he ignores it and quickly pulls his phone out of his pocket to answer it. Molly is on the line, and she congratulates him on finally being out of the hospital, but sounds rather chiding when she mentions that he had neglected to tell her. Sylvie gives a quick apology, which Molly happily accepts in exchange for his address in order to visit him ("I meant to visit you today, but I'll just go over to your house tomorrow instead!"). She mentions that it's getting late ("Boss said I should close up early tonight and get some good sleep. You sleep well, too, Sylvie!") and it hits him how tired he is.

Their call ends quickly, and Sylvie knows he really has to go to sleep since he has work to catch up on tomorrow and he needs to be awake enough for when Molly arrives. But when he was in the hospital, there were always plenty of doctors around for when he wanted to sleep. He's completely alone now, and what if something bad happens while he's asleep?

He makes up his mind quickly, and grabs a well-used notebook off his side table and starts to write out a note. In the back of his mind he knows that this is going to become a problem soon, but all those logical thoughts are currently buried under fear and panic. Sylvie finishes off the note with a nod to himself, and stands up in the middle of his bedroom.

"Dream Big!" he calls out softly as to not disturb anyone, and everything becomes heavy and tired and...

Sylvie passes out on the floor and trusts Beefton to read the note he left.


	2. Chapter Two

Sylvie wakes up to a loud noise and finds himself lying on the ground by the table in the kitchen. His phone is on the ground beside him, an obnoxious alarm blaring out that he quickly mutes before it gives him a headache. This isn't the first time he's had Beefton take over for the night, but usually it's to work overtime on a project without passing out. He gets to his feet to find eggs and toast on the table (thank you, Beefton), and proceeds to ignore the fact that he had been using his epithet for hours longer than he usually would (ten hours, to be precise, as Molly had called him at ten and he asked Beefton to wake him up at eight). 

  
He rather reluctantly eats breakfast (he hasn't been very hungry lately) and packs up his bag for the day. He actually has to go into his office today (mainly to prove that he is, in fact, alive) and get things back to functioning normally. As he goes to leave, Sylvie checks to make sure all the windows are closed (and locked) and checks a couple (five) times to make sure the door is going to be locked behind him. These don't inherently keep anyone out (brute force and all that), but it ensures that it will be obvious if someone had gone into his apartment. 

  
He ignores that fact that he's still rather tired (just because he sleeps while using Dream Big doesn't mean he's not still using energy) and sets off before any of his neighbors attempt to say hello or ask where he's been for the past few weeks. He has work to catch up on, and doesn't want to have any left for when Molly comes to visit, so he won't have to think about it while she's there. 

* * *

Sylvie definitely does _not_ come back from work feeling even more exhausted and is _not_ holding a Counting Sheep in his arms when he enters his apartment. He also does not triple check his apartment before stepping inside to make sure nobody else is there. He _does_ , however, drop his bag (filled with papers and his computer) and the Counting Sheep (that he is _not_ holding) onto the couch and trudge into the kitchen to rifle through the cabinets to see if there's any snacks he can give Molly when she comes over. 

  
He hasn't ever had anyone over to his apartment before, so he's not entirely sure how this is going to work. But Molly is pretty smart, so she'll know what to do (well, hopefully; she is only twelve after all). Sylvie manages to find a box of cereal in the back that somehow hasn't gone stale yet, and dumps it into a free bowl as if it was just chips. He places the bowl on the table in front of his couch, and sits down so the Counting Sheep can lie on his lap. The Counting Sheep lets out a whiny bleat, and he rolls his eyes before petting it. 

  
He closes his eyes and simply waits for Molly to arrive (and tries not to think of the emptiness and pain and everything being _gone_ ). He very specifically makes sure to stay awake (and make sure no Sleep Dust is lingering, since the more tired he gets, the more dust there is), and runs his fingers through soft wool.

  
About twenty minutes later, there's knock on the door so light he barely hears it. The Counting Sheep is unsummoned, and Sylvie quickly gets to his feet. It has to be Molly, since there's no one else he knows who would knock on a door like that. Much to his surprise, he suddenly hears a loud voice at the door. 

  
"Bear Trap, there's no way the nerd is going to hear you!" comes Giovanni's voice.

  
"But Boss, I don't want to disturb anyone else!" replies Molly far more softly.

  
"Well, they can just deal with it! Now, knock on that door like you mean it!"

  
Sylvie yanks open the door before Molly needs to knock again, giving Giovanni a cold glare. "I heard you from all the yelling." (He wishes he could say, "I can call the cops on you," but then Molly would get upset.)

  
"Hi, Sylvie!" chirps Molly happily, holding out a large cooking pot to him. "Look, we-" Giovanni not-so-subtly elbowed her. " _I_ made you some soup! To celebrate getting out of the hospital!"

  
That throws Sylvie for a bit of a loop, as Molly practically shoves the pot into his arm (of course, with a slight nudge from Giovanni), but he just tries to go with it. "Oh, uh, thank you. I'll put this in the fridge." He goes to step into the kitchen, but pauses. "Um, you can sit on the couch, if you want to."

  
Okay, so maybe Sylvie barely knows how to socialize in a non-controlled environment. He elects to ignore that obvious fact, and simply walks into the kitchen and places the soup in the fridge. It smells really good, and he's really glad to have some meals all set for the next few days, since he isn't exactly the best at cooking.

  
He heads back out to say hello (and doesn't have to check if the door is closed since everything is safer when there are other people around) and finds Molly already scooping up a handful of cereal while Giovanni slouches down on the end of the couch and crosses his arms.

  
"It's nice to see you again, Molly," says Sylvie calmly, starting to reach out his hand to shake her's.

  
"Sylvie!" Molly dashes forward and suddenly grabs him in a tight hug, causing him to freeze on the spot. "I'm so happy you're all better!"

  
Sylvie's arms hover awkwardly over Molly, as he isn't quite sure what to do. "Uh, yeah. I am." He doesn't notice Giovanni staring at him, a worried frown briefly appearing on his face.

  
Molly pulls back and grabs Sylvie's hand, pulling him over towards Giovanni. "Boss, you have to say hello!" she demands. "Please?"

  
Giovanni smirks slightly, and looks over at Sylvie. "Alright, alright. Hello, Sheep Boy."

  
"Likewise," replies Sylvie, carefully pulling his hand away from Molly's (he wishes he could say, "Why the hell are you here?" but he refrains once more for Molly's sake).

  
Molly pulls something out of her bag, brandishing it forward dramatically. "I brought my favorite board game!" She shows Sylvie that same world-lighting-up smile that always melts a part of his heart. "Do you want to play it?"

  
The game is called _Quick Picnic_ , and shows some animal-shaped pieces on the lid (including a bear, no surprise there). Sylvie didn't have anything else he planned on doing, so he easily agrees to it and Molly's eyes light up as she neatly places it down on the table and starts pulling out the board and dice. Molly claims a purple bear piece, Giovanni nabs a pink bird piece with a smile, and Sylvie calmly picks a white deer piece from the two remaining. Molly quickly starts to explain how the game works, and any awkwardness there had been before is now gone.

  
The objective of the game is to move around the board and gets snack tokens from picnic tables in various locations, and overall it is extremely simple to understand. It starts out rather calm with Giovanni obviously pretending that he isn't interested, and ends with Molly rolling out the exact number needed to win and letting out a cheer of excitement as Giovanni yells in frustration. Sylvie can't help but smile at their antics (though he does feel a bit out-of-place compared to how they act towards each other), and he refrains from stating the obvious lack of strategy in the game as they start up another round.

  
Three rounds later, Molly sadly states that she has to leave, since she needs to go start her shift at the toy store. Sylvie finds himself saying that she can come over again tomorrow if she wants to (not because he needs someone to be here with him, nope) and Molly grabs him in another hug that he doesn't know how to respond to. He thanks her for the soup (which he knows Giovanni made, but Sylvie knows that he's a bit self-conscious about his epithet) and helps Molly pack up the game and put it back in her bag.

  
Then Molly and Giovanni are already leaving ("We have to wait for the bus, since Boss doesn't-" "Bear Trap!") with the door swinging shut, when Giovanni suddenly holds his hand out and stops Sylvie from closing it. Molly is already going down the hall, so she doesn't notice.

  
"Hey, kid," said Giovanni (and he doesn't say it how Mera did, in that may that managed to reduce him down to cold _nothingness;_ he says it in the way he talks to Molly, in that somewhat-fond manner that Sylvie doesn't understand why he's receiving). "You doing alright?"

  
Sylvie just scoffs as if it's the most absurd thing he's heard (he's not alright). "I'm _fine_. Don't know why you felt the need to ask."

  
Giovanni gives him that look he gave to Molly during the fire (the one that he caused, the one that was his fault) for just a moment, then gives a casual shrug as if nothing unusual was going on. "Whatever, kid. See ya' around."

  
Then he's back to being alone again. There's already a Counting Sheep nudging his leg when he turns around, and his phone alarm goes off to tell him it's time for dinner. He eats some of the soup cold (and even cold it tastes amazing), and trudges back over to the couch to pull out his computer to (try to) get some more work done. The Counting Sheep lies down beside him (with a concerned expression that he chooses to ignore) and gently nuzzles his leg.

  
Sylvie works for two hours, but only actually accomplishes anything for about ten minutes (the rest consists mostly of staring blankly at the computer screen). With an exasperated sigh, he rather roughly shuts his computer, causing a burst of Sleep Dust to sprinkle out around him. In definitely not a panic (because sleep means vulnerability), he leaps up from the couch and away from the dust, going into his bedroom with the Counting Sheep trailing behind.

  
The Counting Sheep lets out a concerned bleat, and Sylvie grits his teeth in frustration. "I _know_ it's because I'm tired. Can you _not_ get on my case right now?" He sits down on his bed, head in his hands. "Ugh, I'm sorry, sheep. It's not that I'm mad at you."

  
He can already sense another concerned bleat coming, and unsummons the Counting Sheep with a wave of his hand. Sylvie scribbles out another note for Beefton (he doesn't normally do this two days in a row, but this situation calls for it), muttering out a tired, "Dream Big," before falling back into (safe) unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sylvie setting alarms to remember to do stuff like eat dinner is something that i do, and just feel like it makes sense that he has to do that too


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i was rewatching the animated segment in episode 4, and i just noticed that sylvie is lying unconscious in the foreground at the beginning

_He reaches out a hand and digs his nails into her ankle, holding on as tightly as possible in his weakened state._

_"Don't... touch her," he spits out angrily._

_But she easily slips away from his hold, looking even angrier than before. "Fine! If you can't wait your turn..." she smirks cruelly. "I'll take **your** epithet first!"_

_Then her hand is squeezing at his chest, seeming to crush his bones down into dust. There's orange shining in his eyes, then it's suddenly surrounded by a painful green that leeches away at him._

_It hurts, it hurts, it **hurts** so much. And she is just laughing, cackling, amused by the pain she is inflicting._

_"All of your power..." he hears her say through the pain. "Thank you.... **kid**."_

_Her fingers finally fall away from him, but that only makes the pain worse. Everything is dark and cold and **gone**. He hits the ground, feeling so lost and hallow and worthless._

_"Sylvie!" cries out Molly from somewhere in the darkness, a dead panic lacing through her voice._

_No, no, **no**! Molly shouldn't be here, she shouldn't have to be afraid! But he's useless to help anymore, and everything is still so **empty** and meaningless._

_Then, he hears her voice again. Cold and calculating, and she calmly speaks out, " **Nightmare Fuel** **.** "_

_He can feel the fire, but the coldness just draws in deeper and_ ** _deeper_**. _She's talking to Molly, while Molly responds in desperation and he **can't** help her. He can't see, he can't feel, and he just hears her laughing and laughing, and then a scream from Molly that echoes and **echoes and-**_

_"No!"_

Sylvie falls and clutches at his chest, fingers wrapped tightly around the fabric of his jacket. He holds as tightly as possible, pressing in warmth and heat and _not coldness_.

_You need to breathe, Sylvie..._

A shaky breath in. He's not coughing or choking. His lungs don't feel like dust.

_And... keep going..._

Then a slow exhale. His bones aren't being crushed in. He isn't being held up like a toy.

"C-Counting Sheep..."

One sheep. He's on the ground.

Two sheep. He's by the couch.

Three sheep. He's _in the museum and she's standing above him-_

Four sheep. He's not there.

Five sheep. He's in his apartment.

Six sheep. He can feel their soft wool against him.

Seven sheep. He can start to breathe properly again.

Eight. Inhale.

Nine. Exhale.

Ten. Inhale.

Eleven. Exhale.

Twelve... thirteen...

He slowly untangles his fingers from his jacket. It's okay, he's surrounded by warmth now.

The sheep are baa-ing softly, standing in a protective circle around him. His knees are drawn tightly up against his chest. It's dark, but there's some sunlight starting to peak in through the gaps in the curtains.

He doesn't look at the time. He doesn't want to know how early in the morning it is (and how many more hours he has until work). He's supposed to be safe when using Dream Big. He isn't supposed to be having any nightmares. He's supposed to be _okay_.

There are tears on his cheeks. There are tears on his glasses. There are tears on his hands and his jacket and- and-

Tears are okay. Tears are... healthy. He just needs to think through everything all nice and calmly. Emotional tears release oxytocin and endorphins. Those are considered "happy" chemicals, since releasing them helps a person feel better (he isn't feeling better). See, he _is_ doing okay. He's handling his own problems _just fine_.

_Just... fine..._

* * *

Sylvie leaves one Counting Sheep summoned when he finally _(finally)_ heads into work (he never went back to sleep, he just sat with the sheep for hours and hours). He orders the sheep to keep an eye on things, and it gives him a baa in response (and a _look_ that says he's not even fooling the sheep anymore). His eyes are heavy and he barely has control over his Sleep Dust and keeping something consistently summoned from miles away is doing to be exhausting, but he can handle it.

He arrives at work late and is immediately pushed right back out and told to go home and get some rest. What? No, he can't go to _sleep,_ he needs to _work._ And _no,_ he doesn't need anybody to walk him home. He can get back _on his own._

Sylvie goes to Blyndeff Toy Emporium (he still has the card in his pocket, has he changed clothes since he left the hospital?) instead. Molly should be in school right now, sure, but she'll arrive eventually (right?). He'll only be alone for a few more hours (please only a few more) and then they can do something together. See, it's just _efficiency,_ meaning that she won't have to come over to his apartment.

Nobody seems to be inside, but the door is unlocked anyways. Nobody at the register, nobody browsing for toys. The lights are on, meaning that someone was there recently, right?

"Hello?" Sylvie calls out into the emptiness (no, _no,_ this was supposed to make everything _not empty)._ "Is anyone here?"

There's no response. Everything is too quiet and even with the lights it's too dark. It's like when it was _gone_ and he couldn't do _anything_ and his hand is already grabbing at his chest and the _piece of him being ripped away and taken and-_

"Oh, hey there, kid! Sorry, I was just hanging out in the back playing this fun little game!"

 _He's not a kid, he's more than that, but_ he can start to breathe again _and-_

Sylvie barely manages to snap back. There's a man standing nearby with a phone in his hand (he looks familiar, but only so vaguely), clearly oblivious to what had just happened. There are stars in his beard (oh, he was with that tour group in the museum, the one that Molly had been in) and he realizes that this must be Molly's father (who shouldn't be making his twelve year-old daughter run the store until _one in the morning)_.

"Hello," Sylvie greets rather coldly, knowing that the slight bite in his tone won't be noticed by someone like this (dumb and stupid and _just like his-_ ). "I'm looking for Molly, is she here right now?" (He knows she isn't, but it's the "proper" question to ask.)

"Molly? Oh, no, I think she's at school right now." _Think_ she's at school? What is that even supposed to _mean?_ "She can't run the register right now, unfortunately." _Unfortunately?_

 _Get it together._ "That's alright. Do you mind if I wait for her to arrive?" _Please don't make me leave._

"Sure that's fine, kid!" Why does he have to say it like _that?_ "I'm just gonna get back to my game!" Molly's dad turns away, already tapping away at the phone screen. "I just love all these little things!"

Sylvie stares at Molly's dad until he saunters out of sight (he should really try to set up an appointment with Molly, no _wonder_ she has some issues). He places his bag down by the register, and starts to go look at the toys.

But then he slips. For just a moment, his concentration breaks (from exhaustion, from being tired, from being _drowsy;_ now is the _worst_ time for irony). No, no, no! He still needs the sheep at home to keep watch, and he needs to be awake for Molly, and _he doesn't want to have a nightmare again-_

He falls down against a wall, Sleep Dust already surrounding the air around him. It feels like she there _again_ and pulling it _away_ and he _still can't do anything-_

He _needs_ to _stay_ awake _before-_

_"Fine! If you can't wait your turn... I'll take **your** epithet first!"_

_Sylvie sees green overtaking orange._


	4. Chapter Four

_She breaks his bones. She breaks his fingers. She breaks his **soul**._

_Orange is gone. It's all green. It's **always** green._

_He grabs her leg, she kicks him to the ground. He grabs her leg, she crushes his hand. He grabs her leg, she breaks his arm._

_He misses her leg, and he screams. He misses her leg, and Molly screams. He misses her leg and they both scream._

_"Sylvie!"_

_Everything is burning. Everything is freezing. Everything is nothing._

_He's empty. He's hallow. He's **worthless**._

_She's laughing, she's laughing, **she's laughing**._

_"Sylvie, please wake up!"_

_Everything is closing in, he can't feel anything, his soul is cracked, his soul is **broken** , he can't see, he can't breathe, he can't do anything._

_"Boss! Giovanni! Sylvie needs help; I don't know what to do!"_

_He's just a **kid** , he can't **help** , he needs someone to **help** , he can't **do anything, he can't, he can't-**_

_There are hands holding his, gripping on tightly but not painfully. There's a voice, and it's not **her** voice._

_"Shhh... It's going to be okay, Sylvie."_

_There isn't fire, there isn't pain, but there's still the **nothingness** and the **emptiness-**_

_There's an arm around his shoulders, holding him up, keeping him grounded._

_"We're here for you, buddy. Don't worry."_

_Not like **her**. Not saying kid. Not worthless._

_"You're safe. You're with your friends. You're asleep, but you're not having any nightmares."_

_His head is fuzzy again. Like when she used it the first time. It means that he isn't going to feel pain. It's all just... dumbed down._

_Please don't leave. I don't want to be alone._

_"We won't leave, Sylvie."_

* * *

Sylvie doesn't wake up crying, or clutching at his chest, or cold and alone. He wakes up to green (not the bad green, not the green from the amulet). He wakes up to warm and softness.

He wakes up very, _very_ confused.

He's on a couch with a blanket over him, and there's the title screen of some movie looping on a television. He's not in his apartment; he doesn't know where he is. He's starting to panic slightly, and everything's starting to go dark again-

Someone lightly at his jacket. It's Molly on his right side, curled up at his side with a serene smile on her face, her hands tangled up in the fabric of his jacket. There's an arm over his shoulder. It's Giovanni on his left side, with a pair of knitting needles and a half-made bandana lying on his lap. Both of them are sleep.

He... he had been at Molly's toy store, right? Or had he just been hallucinating for getting essentially zero hours of sleep over the past two days? Maybe this was all just another dream? But then it was going to turn into a nightmare again. Another nightmare in which he can't save anyone, and he has to feel the _emptiness_ that draws in _closer and closer-_

Someone ruffles his hair and Sylvie jolts back into reality. "H-hey!"

"You space out like that a lot?" It's Giovanni asking, his head titled slightly to the side.

"What?" Sylvie tries to move away slightly (he's not okay, but nobody needs to know, he needs to _leave),_ but Molly's on his other side and Giovanni is holding his shoulder.

"Eh, thoughts can get confusing. Can't blame ya."

 _Get your head on straight, Sylvester. Just ask the important question here and ignore any distractions._ "What happened?" Molly's breath is warm against his arm, and it reminds him that he's _not there_ anymore.

Then Giovanni is frowning, looking genuinely concerned. "What's the last thing you remember, bud?"

His breath hitches for a moment, thinking of _pain_ again. "I... was in the toy store," he says quietly, trying not to trip over his words. "And..." _There's no reason to not the tell the truth. It's the logical thing to do._ "I lost control of my Sleep Dust."

He falls silent, as if saying that's all that happened. "We couldn't wake you up," says Giovanni after a moment.

Sylvie's gaze falls downward, noting that he's starting to grip at his chest again. "That used to happen when I was younger," he says (as an excuse). "You guys didn't have to worry-"

"You were having a nightmare!" snaps Giovanni, his hands flying up into the air in frustration (Sylvie feels colder suddenly). "You were hurting yourself and Bear Trap and I couldn't help you!"

"You shouldn't of had to!" Sylvie pulls away from Molly and stands up, just at the edge of the Silence Bubble. _Alone again._ "Look, I appreciate that you were concerned for me, but it's completely unnecessary!"

"You're not okay, ki-!" Giovanni stutters to a halt halfway through the word, but it's clear what he had been saying.

 _Kid. Worthless. Powerless. Nothing._ Sylvie stares with wide eyes, hands clenched at his chest. "I'm fine," he says while shaking, backing out of the Silence Bubble with panicked breathing. "I'm _fine!"_

He's falling again, like when _she_ threw him aside. The emptiness is coming so _fast_ and he just can't handle it-

"Hey, stay with me, bud!" There are hands gripping his shoulders, but it's not enough to ground him. "Come on, please! I don't know what to do here, you're the smart one!"

_Not "supposed to be". You **are**. Come on, come on...!_

Sylvie launches forward and grabs onto Giovanni desperately. He needs _heat_ , he needs _support_ , and he needs to be _with someone_. Not alone, anything but alone. After a moment, he feels Giovanni's arms wrap around him in a hug. He doesn't need the sheep or Beefton because he's _safe_.

"It hurt," Sylvie confesses with tears already falling. "It hurt _so much."_

"Fights always hurt," replies Giovanni, not quite understanding.

"No," his chest is in pain. "I've been hurt in battle before. When she... when _Mera_ took my epithet," he feels Giovanni tense slightly _(you didn't know, it's not your fault)._ "It felt like... like she took a _part_ of me. Not just what I could do. Like she... like she took a piece of my _soul_."

"If I had known-"

 _"Don't!"_ Sylvie pulls back (it's okay now), giving Giovanni a fierce glare. "Don't you dare feel guilt due to ignorance! It was Mera's _choice_ to steal the Arsene Amulet! To take _my_ epithet! This is on her and _her only!"_ He takes in a slow breath. "If I hadn't tried to stop Mera, she would have just taken Molly's epithet. It's... better that it was me rather than her."

"You've shouldn't have needed to do that to begin with," Giovanni looks down, scowling. "That amulet is dangerous. If someone else like that lady got their hands on it..." he pauses for a moment, contemplating. "But I've got an idea."

Sylvie raises an eyebrow, as Giovanni leaps to his feet with a grin. "What are you up to?"

"I need to go get something!" he declares dramatically. "You can stay here with Bear Trap, it shouldn't take me too long."

"Hang on!" he quickly gets to his feet as Giovanni pulls on his jacket. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, there's no need to worry; you'll see soon enough," he gently pushes Sylvie back over towards the couch. "If Bear Trap wakes up, just tell her I had to run an errand. See you soon, Knockout!"

Giovanni sprints off, leaving Sylvie just as confused as he was when he first woke up. He begins to try and figure out what Giovanni could possibly be up to, when the last thing said suddenly hits him.

"Wait, _did you just give me a nickname?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was between "knockout" and "duster"


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this look a lot longer to write than i expected... ah, but the season finale was awesome! i really hope we get a season 2!

Sylvie sits down on the couch and groans in confusion. He really wishes that things could make sense for more than a few seconds at a time. Thinking rationally (and calmly, he hasn't done that in a while) he first decides to take note of all the things he actually _does_ know.

Number one: his own Sleep Dust had knocked him out in the toystore, therefore preventing him from waking up from his nightmare.

Number two: at some point, Molly (and Giovanni? His thoughts are still a bit fuzzy) had showed up to snap him out of his nightmare (likely with use of Molly's epithet).

Number three: he is... at Molly's place still? It's hard to tell, considering he's never seen the place before, but it just makes sense. Easier to stay at the same location with an unconscious person.

Number four: apparently he has a nickname in similar vein to Molly's nickname (though _why_ he can't figure out).

Number five: there, uh, wasn't exactly more to think of...

"Sylvie?"

He glances over to the side to see Molly blinking sleepily, having apparently just woken up. "Hey, Molly," he replies softly.

"You're awake!" she smiles. "We were so worried about you! What happened?" Molly glances around. "And where's Giovanni?"

"He ran off to... run an errand, apparently," Sylvie replies with a shrug. "Said he'd be back soon."

She tilts her head slightly to the side in confusion. "An errand? But Boss doesn't have a car or anything..." she shakes her head. "Well, never mind that. Are you okay, Sylvie? I tried using my epithet to help you, but did I end up hurting you at all? I'm really sorry if I did!"

"Hurt me- no, no, you didn't hurt me at all!" Sylvie smiles at Molly. "You really helped, actually. I'm... not sure how long I would have been out, actually," the smile fades away.

Molly frowns. "Were you... trying to sleep?"

Right. Molly's still young, and doesn't quite understand all the nuances of epithets yet. "Have you ever trained up your epithet, Molly?" he asks quietly.

"I don't use it outside of when I need to, if that's what you're asking. But how is that related to-"

"Sometimes," Sylvie interrupts. "An epithet can backfire on the user, usually when they're out of stamina. Not meaning you use it on yourself, but that you don't use it _right_. Say, for example, you were attempting to dumb down the damage of an attack, but you messed up, and instead it dumbs down your ability to handle the damage." He looks over at her. "Does that make sense?"

Molly nods slowly. "So... you were trying to stay awake, and instead put yourself to sleep?"

"I lost control of my Sleep Dust because I was too tired," he admits freely. "This isn't the first time it's happened, but it's the first time in a while. When I was younger, it used to happen more, but there would always be my par- _other people_ around to help me."

"Oh..." Molly looks down at her lap, thinking for a moment. "Why were you out of stamina?"

Of course, she's already figured out the issue instead of focusing on the symptom; Molly's smart like that. "... I haven't been sleeping properly..." Sylvie says softly. "Because..." he trails off.

Molly shifts over to his side, laying her head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Sylvie. I've been having nightmares, too." Sylvie freezes up. "But I've talking to Giovanni about them, and he's been helping me." She pauses for a moment. "You should have talked to us," she says quietly. 

"I know," he replies. "I thought I could handle things on my own and..." Sylvie looks down at his feet. "I've never really had friends before," he whispers.

Molly's arms wrap around him in a gentle hug. "Well now you have some."

Something suddenly smacks against the window, and Sylvie jumps half a mile in surprise. "Oi, Bear Trap!" yells Giovanni from outside. "Grab Knockout and get out here!"

Molly and Sylvie look at each other in confusion, with Molly simply shrugging. She gets up and lightly tugs Sylvie's sleeve to have him follow. Walking downstairs (oh, he was just in the upstairs of the the toystore), Giovanni is standing outside with his bat (no knife attached) in one hand, the other in the pocket of his jacket.

"Hey, Boss!" says Molly cheerfully. "Why'd you go get your Soul-Slugger Doom Bat of Maximum Destruction?" (That sure was a mouthful.)

"To use it, of course!" Giovanni replies with a smile, before looking over at Sylvie. "I've got something guaranteed to cheer you up, Knockout."

Sylvie is about to respond with a quip, when Giovanni pulls the Arsene Amulet out of his pocket and his heart stops. The green gem is shining hauntingly, spinning around in the air so dangerously. It doesn't matter that anyone else is nearby, all Sylvie can see is the amulet dancing in the air just _waiting_ to be used.

Are people talking? Probably trying to calm him down or something. It's one thing to have someone comfort you about your nightmares, but it's one thing to _see a nightmare in front of you_. A loud clatter makes it through his fog of thoughts, and the amulet is lying still instead of spinning. It's not glowing, but it's starting to look like it is and he can't _breathe-_

Then a bat connects with the gem, _and the Arsene Amulet shatters into pieces._

Sylvie's jaw drops and he can breathe again. There's gold and dull green scattered across the pavement; none of it is shining. "Wh-what? You- you-" he can't seem to form any complete sentences.

Molly places her hand on his shoulder again. "Sylvie?"

He can't handle it anymore. Sylvie drops to his knees and starts sobbing, with Molly and Giovanni both quickly trying to see what's wrong. "It's gone..." he manages to stutter out through the tears of relief. " _Thank you._ "

In the middle of the night, outside of a toystore, Sylvie cries his eyes out next to the first friends he's ever had. The amulet pieces lay on the ground, now just meaning shards of gold and gemstone. The Arsene Amulet is no more.

* * *

Sylvie wakes up on Molly's couch because of the sun shining in his eyes. He groans in irritation, trying to burying his head into a pillow to stifle the light, but he's already too awake to actually be able to fall asleep. After a few minutes, he reluctantly sits up and snatches his glasses of the nearby table.

Grabbing his coat off the arm of the couch, Sylvie yawns as he trudges down the stairs to the store. Molly is sitting at the register doing what looks like homework, and she looks up as Sylvie walks over.

"Guess I slept through most of the day, huh?" Sylvie asks.

"You did really need it," replies Molly. "Feeling well-rested?"

"Not quite there yet, but definitely better than before." He leans against the counter. "I'll make sure to fall asleep at a reasonable time tonight."

"Will you be okay at your apartment?" she asks nervously. "You can always stay here again, I won't mind."

"I'll text you if I have any problems, okay?" Sylvie pulls out his phone, glancing at it to see some missed calls from earlier in the day. (Right, he didn't go into work today...) "But I should be fine." He pauses for a moment, "Where did you put the pieces?"

Molly pulls out a plastic baggie from her hoodie pocket, the pieces of the amulet kept carefully in it. "I kept it with me all day, just to make sure we didn't misplace it." She looks at Sylvie nervously. "What are we going to do with it?"

"I'm going to hand it over to the police," he replies. "And we can finally be over with this whole mess."

"What are we going to tell them?" asks Molly. "Won't the police lady get upset if we tell her that we're the ones who broke it?"

Sylvie shakes his head. " _We_ aren't going to tell Percy anything. I'm going to handle this myself." She looks ready to object, and he quickly continues. "Hey, I don't want you to have to lie to the police!"

"What? You're going _lie to the police?"_ she gasps.

"Just a simple one, so that nobody gets in trouble. I'll say it was a fight or something, and the amulet happened to be broken during it." Sylvie casually looks away from Molly. "I mean, unless you _want_ me to sell Giovanni out to the cops-"

"Alright, alright!" Molly carefully hands the bag over to the Sylvie, and he puts it carefully into his pocket. "Boss and I are here for you if you need help."

Sylvie smiles. "I know." He pushes off the counter and heads towards the door. " _Quick Picnic_ again tomorrow?"

She smiles back. "Sounds great! Bye, Sylvie!"

"Bye, Molly."

And finally, he feels safe once again. Everything is finally over.

* * *

Whoa!

You're not gonna believe this

What is it?

So the kid with the amulet has been hanging out

with the other kids that were in the museum

The bear girl and the sheep boy

Oh, really?

I was doing some spying and you'll never

guess what!

What is it?

They smashed the Amulet!

They what?

I know, right?

It was for the sheep boy or something.

Then I suppose we should tell Zora.

But I think I know a way to get a new one!

A new amulet?

What's your idea?

Well, we do need to contact Zora.

But we need to tell her that she has a new

target now:

Sylvester Ashling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of the Empty Arc! I hope you all enjoyed this story, and will stick around to see the next one in the Epithet Emptied series! (I'm already working on the next arc: the Refill Arc.)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [sweet dreams are made of these](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21807298) by [bogsheep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bogsheep/pseuds/bogsheep)




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